


A Mother's Gift

by DailyDianakko



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Based on the game Journey, Diakko, Gen, Happy Birthday my cabbage daughter, I am one hour late to the party but with starbucks, If You Squint - Freeform, It probably wont make sense unless youve played the game, Journey, Light Angst, how to tag, i dont know, spoilers for the game Journey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23941573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DailyDianakko/pseuds/DailyDianakko
Summary: Diana celebrates her birthday alone by playing a game. Turns out she's not alone as she feels.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish & Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30





	A Mother's Gift

Diana let out a quiet sigh as she lay despondently on her bed. She felt hollow. Before, when she was younger, her room would have been full of life and joy on this particular day. Now it was just quiet. Her mother was no longer here to waltz in during the morning with a song. There were no birthday pancakes on a tray. No morning cuddles. No outdoor picnic with cake. No special present. At the very most she was expecting to at get a birthday dinner. Her favorite meal, courtesy of Anna’s foresight, but the atmosphere at the table would be stilted. What had truly made Diana’s birthday was the company her mother provided. Her aunt and cousins disliked her, to put it gently. They held a grudge simply because she was the heir to the fortune and estate. Daryl might have been the temporary head of house, but she couldn’t access the main bank accounts. They had to sell off whatever they could to fuel the lifestyle they wanted. Today was simply another reminder of the slow creep until Daryl and her brood would lose their power.

Diana looked over to her desk. Anna had come in earlier this morning, gently waking her and brining in two packages. One gift from Anna herself and another from Diana’s mother. She hadn’t quite mustered the energy to open them yet. Maybe if she opened them, the nagging emptiness that dragged her soul down would cease. At least, for a little while. Diana slowly climbed out of bed. The heaviness in her limbs seemed to increase in protest as she moved. After massive amounts of effort and what felt like ages, Diana succeeded in walking over to the desk. The clock on the dark wood told her only minutes had passed. The day would seemingly drag on forever.

Picking up the first present, Diana looked at the tag. It was Anna’s present. The wrapping was pristine as ever. It was blue with small balloons, square with crisp corners with minimal tape. The weight of the package betrayed the interior. It was heavy and square. Obviously a book. She wedged her thumb in underneath the tape and gave a tug. The satisfying rip that followed thereafter made her lips quirk into a small smile. Underneath the paper was indeed a book. However, it wasn’t a classic novel or research book. It was simply “Winnie the Pooh.” The very book Diana’s mother read to her every year on her birthday. It had been rebound and fixed, but the tea stain that marred the cover was still there. Diana flipped it open to the cover page. The imprints of stains from pressed wildflowers lingered, along with the aged script of her mother. “May you never stop dreaming. Much love, your Mother.” A tear stain joined the wildflower marks.

Diana quickly closed the book and shoved it aside. She wasn’t in the mood to pick at wounds that never quite healed. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and compose herself. Deep breaths. Her hands fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. The woven texture was soothing. Focus on how it felt. Breathe. Diana didn’t know how much time had passed while she worked at calming herself down. Once she felt well enough, she turned to the other present. The tag read Bernadette, but it was in Anna’s hand writing. Diana could probably muster a guess that it was some sort of game if Anna was true to tradition. The pattern of one educational gift and one game from Anna and her mother had stayed true all these years. However, Diana had some doubts. The slim package didn’t look like a board game. She picked it up, and heard the slight rattle of a disc. Maybe it was a movie. But the package wasn’t long enough.

Diana stopped her musing and simply decided to open it. She tucked stray hairs that had flown into her face during her minor panic and set to work. A quick tear of the wrapping paper unveiled what her second present was. A game called Journey. It had a desert background and birdlike character who was wrapped in cloth on the cover. It looked quite peaceful despite the barren landscape. It seemed to be playable with the game system Hannah had gotten her a few years ago. The redhead had given it to her when she had claimed Diana worked too much. Diana had dabbled a little in it, enough to know the controls, but had never actively played. She had been too busy, ironically. Now would be as good a time as ever to play it. If Daryl hadn’t sold the system.

The trek to the game room was a quick one. The mansion was quiet. The only sound to be heard was Diana’s soft footsteps. There weren't many staff in the halls. They were probably hiding away. Daryl had been in a foul mood and the threat of being fired was ever looming. Anna had been one of the only few that remained from the times Diana’s mother had been in charge. Stopping outside the door to the game room, she raised a hand to knock. Diana didn’t know why, exactly. No one would be in there, and it was a family space. Her hand dropped back to her side. Hesitantly she reached out and turned the knob. Pushing the door open, she peeked into the dark room. She took a step in and groped for the light switch.

The bright light suddenly flooding the room made her blink. The room was mostly empty. Furniture and things deemed non-essential had been sold off. A shelf still held some childhood board games, the ragged boxes held together with tape. The billiards table hadn’t survived the purge. However, the couch and television was still there, as well as the system Hannah had bought her. Anna must have worked hard to protect Diana’s possessions, no matter how unused they were. Diana put the disk into the player, turned on the TV and settled on the couch. Lucky for her, it was still set up from her last game so there was no need to tamper with channels and whatnot.

The startup took no time at all, and soon she was looking at the title screen. All the options that were provided were new game, options, and credits. Diana didn’t know enough to fiddle with the options, and figured the credits could be watched at the end of the game. She quickly chose the new game and settled back to play. The character was charming and Diana quickly warmed up to the controls. The chirps of the character were beautiful and just as she suspected from the character design, matched those of a bird. She quickly traversed the map, and made it to the next area. It looked like the puzzle for this area was to rebuild the bridge. As she completed the first arc of the ribbon bridge, a corner of her screen was lit white. Diana didn’t quite know what that meant, and quickly looked around the area.

A small figure ran up to her character. It looked nearly the same, except the call sign that it used looked like four n’s stacked up on one another. They jumped in the air and ran around Diana excitedly, letting out staccato cheeps. Diana laughed in spite of herself. Perhaps she wouldn’t be playing this game alone after all. She let out a few cheeps herself, and gave a small jump. Her excited companion jumped as well. Together they uncovered the mysteries of the ruins. Leading one another to the lights that would lengthen their scarves and fixing the bridge, the two worked in tandem.

Together they traversed the desert, from watching the star fall to freeing the carpet creatures, Diana was enjoying herself more and more. Her partner was excitable, calling to her frequently. Diana was more reserved with her song, only using it to regenerate her partner’s scarf, or to call attention to murals, the orbs of light, and where to go. As they unveiled more and more of the plot together, Diana began to piece together what had caused the ruins in this desert world. A civil war between the tribe, fighting over scraps of power. It was all too familiar to her own household. What concerned Diana was the murals that showed the ancients riding beasts. What would she and her partner face on their journey?

She was roused from her thoughts by the frantic cheeps of her partner. Diana had stopped walking and obviously concerned her compatriot. She let out a series of calls in return to assure them that she wasn’t going anywhere. Diana wanted to finish the game with them. Together they traversed the sands once more. This time they slid down steep hills together, weaving in and out of columns of old crumbling stone. The sand grains scattered from behind them, and the sun’s glare made it look like they were skating over gold. It truly was beautiful. Her partner soared through the air with every jump. It was a dance between the two of them. Her travel companion was sticking as close to Diana as possible. For once Diana was at peace. She wasn’t alone, and she was having fun with this mystery player. All too soon, the peaceful moment was over. Together they fell into an abyss, floating softly down. It was dark down in the ruins, and the unnatural blue lights that littered the ground made the dark world even more eerie. Even though the game had been peaceful so far, this area screamed danger. 

Her companion huddled ever closer, the contact making their scarves shine. Together they walked through the boxy ruins. Diana nearly screamed in terror when one of the blue lights on the ground unearthed itself to be a monster of iron. It let out a screeching cry, the call sounding like metal being pushed through a shredder. Diana’s heart beat fast, and she felt her body tense. She hunched over, eyes focusing on the screen. Diana watched for the metal beasts, wanting nothing more than to get past this area. She hated how her partner was more quiet now. The joyful cheeps had ceased in favor of a tense silence. One of fear and watchfulness. Diana quickly sounded off two hoots of reassurance. They would be safe. She’d make sure of it. The two stealthily made their way through the distorted maze of monsters and withered stone columns. Letting out calls to move when it was safe, Diana slowly guided her companion in what she hoped was the right way.

The harrowing journey ended in a frantic slide down a slope, with the titans in pursuit close behind. They were saved by some sort of force field. It prevented the beasts from attacking them. Diana leaned back and took a breath. She put the remote down and stretched the tension out of her back. She smiled as she looked at the screen. Her companion flew around her, letting out long cries of what she assumed was elation. She let out a few reserved cries as well. Calming down from what she supposed was their shared high, they moved onward and triggered the next area of the game.

The camera panned around the screen, showing her that they were now in the bowels of the ruins, and would have to platform their way up. However, after triggering the first mural, a golden cloud filled the bottom tier of the tower. Diana let out a laugh as she noticed that her friend was now flying around, letting out near constant chirps. Diana joined her in the impromptu dance, lighting the murals and relishing in the trials they had overcome. When a whale seemingly made of carpet appeared, Diana once again was awestruck at the sheer beauty of the game’s world. It struck such a chord in her, and she couldn’t fathom why. She rode the whale with her friend together, and lit the final mural. One that showed a trial to come. A storm, and the two of them fighting through it. Diana hoped it would end well, but a nervous feeling gnawed at her stomach. She breathed in deep. If she was with her friend, she was sure she could overcome whatever trial was next.

Diana could almost feel the coldness of the mountain. Feel the winds that pushed her and her friend back relentlessly. The beasts stalked them once more. Their harsh cries carried through the snow covered world. Diana huddled with her friend, in an attempt to keep the scarves they wore charged. It looked as if they were huddling for warmth, in a pathetic attempt to keep moving in the cold. They slowly continued on, both limping through the snow. Her friends’ calls were fewer now. They didn’t really show on the screen. Diana frowned with worry. The winds were getting stronger now, both their movements were slower. Tears filled her eyes as she watched them move from a slow walk, to a creep, then to a crawl. She didn’t move forward when her friend fell, and stayed with them until she collapsed next to them into the snow. 

She watched with a stony face as the elders looked on their bodies sadly, and tried not to cry. They had come so far together, only to have their journey cut short. She wanted to scream. Diana prepared to turn off the game then and there, but she stopped midway. A glow filled the screen as her character was revitalized, and shot into the air. Diana let out a whoop, manners be damned. Frantically pressing her controller, she let out a string of calls, searching for her friend. When they were answered, she flopped back into the couch relieved. They were here. They made it. Together Diana and her friend danced together in the sky, letting out chirps as they circled one another. Finally, their dance came to an end. They stopped at the pinnacle of the mountain. Letting out one final call to each other, the characters bowed and they walked into the beam of light.

Diana leaned back, eyes misty as the credits rolled. She had never felt so relieved and accomplished. Together she and her partner had done it. They completed the journey. She let the controller fall from her grasp as the game’s final cutscene ended. The final shot was of the desert at night. Diana let out a gasp as words flicked across the screen. “Companions met along the way: Katsu_Kaa_Gari” Diana muttered aloud. Her hand twitched as she contemplated messaging the companion that she played the game with. Would they even want to talk? Would they be rude? Perhaps it was best to leave them alone. Absentmindedly she rubbed the hem of her shirt as doubts swirled in her thoughts like a muddy cloud. She almost didn’t hear the ping of the message she got on her console.

Diana scrambled for the controller and quickly flicked to messages. It was a message from Katsu_Kaa_Gari.

**Katsu_Kaa_Gari [2:40pm]:** Thank you for the amazing Journey! It made my heart go ドキドキのワクワク ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆

**Katsu_Kaa_Gari [2:41pm]:** 本当にありがとう！(＾▽＾)

Diana fumbled with the controller, anxious to type out a reply. She slowly tapped out her message, editing it, deleting, and re-typing until she deemed it perfect.

**Greem_Been [2:56pm]:** Thank you as well. I very much enjoyed playing with you. Your company made this game very enjoyable. It was a memorable way to spend my birthday and I thank you for your time.

Diana bit her lip anxiously as she waited for a reply. Perhaps she took too long? Did they get bored?

**Katsu_Kaa_Gari [2:57pm]:** AAAAAA you responded! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

**Katsu_Kaa_Gari [2:57pm]:** Happy Birthday to you as well! I am very much glad I could keep you company. (*￣▽￣)b

**Katsu_Kaa_Gari [2:58pm]:** If you want, we can play other games too! I have minecraft if you want! We can celebrate your birthday even more! (☆ω☆)

**Katsu_Kaa_Gari [2:58pm]:** Of course I am a stranger, so you dont have to. If I am a bother I am sorry ごめんなさい！

Diana blinked at the flurry of messages and let out a giggle. The person behind the messages was just as excitable as they were in game. If she recalled, Minecraft was one of the games she had gotten when she was first gifted with the console. She didn’t recall how to play it, but one game couldn’t hurt. Besides, if Katsu was a sketchy figure, she could always block them.

**Greem_Been [2:59pm]:** I would be honored if you would play with me. However I will not hesitate to block you if you misbehave.

As an afterthought, she typed out another message.

**Greem_Been [3:00pm]:** Thank you for offering. I enjoy playing with you.

**Katsu_Kaa_Gari [3:00pm]:** よし！My Minecraft ID is the same as here! I already added you! I look forward to playing!

Diana let out another giggle. It looks like her birthday wouldn’t be so lonely after all. Who knows, maybe she had made a new friend. Quietly Diana thanked Anna for choosing this particular gift in her mother’s name. She was looking forward to the rest of the day.

**Author's Note:**

> ITS LATE BUT ITS DONE! A birthday fic for Diana, based around the game journey. If you haven’t played, I recommend doing so before (or after) you read this fic! It’s currently free for people with a playstation account, and only takes a few hours to finish. Is this an AU? Who knows? I wrote this on a tea fueled all night bender so you bet your ass it contains the very spirit of Diana Cavendish herself.
> 
> Translation notes: 
> 
> ドキドキのワクワク: Doki Doki no Waku Waku (we all know what this one means)
> 
> 本当にありがとう: Thank you very much!
> 
> ごめんなさい: I am sorry!
> 
> よし: Alright!
> 
> All of these were translated with google translate, so there may be errors :’)


End file.
